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Scandinavian Raceway
Scandinavian Raceway |location= Anderstorp, Gislaved, Jönköping, Sweden |length= 4.018 km/2.497 mi (1973-77) 4.031 km/2.505 mi (1978) |turns= 8 |record= 1:24.836, Niki Lauda, Brabham BT46B, 1978 |firstgp= 1973 Swedish Grand Prix |lastgp= 1978 Swedish Grand Prix }} Scandinavian Raceway, now known as Anderstorp Raceway, is a permanent racing circuit which held the Swedish Grand Prix for its entire existence, from 1973 to 1978. The track was originally opened in 1958, and continues to function mostly as a testing ground, due to local noise regulations. Circuit History Scandinavian Raceway was built in 1958, outside of the small town of Anderstorp. It is located on former marshland, adjacent to a little-used airstrip, which now doubles as the back straight. It had only been used as a club racing circuit until the late 1960s, when Formula Three and Two discovered the track. In 1973, an increased number of Scandinavian drivers (most notably Ronnie Peterson) led the Swedish auto club to host a Formula One race. The Swedish Grand Prix was run six times, but after the deaths of Swedish drivers Peterson and Gunnar Nilsson in late 1978, the race was cancelled, and has never been restored. Since then, the track has hosted the Swedish motorcycle Grand Prix for 20 years, and was a regular stop for World Superbike races, the European and World touring car championships and various Formula Two and Formula Three events. The last international event was a World Touring Car Championship race in 2007, but the event was not a success, and was moved to Imola in 2008. Nowadays the track has returned to club racing, and is a popular testing track for Swedish automakers. Circuit Layouts Scandanavian Raceway has had almost exactly the same layout for its entire existence. There are eight corners over the 4.025 km/2.501 mile length, and almost all of them are long, wide sweepers that put a premium on neutral handling and keeping tire temperatures down. It is also unique in that, because the pits were on a rather short straight, the CSI insisted that start/finish be moved halfway around the track. It also incorporates a section of the local airport as the back straight. The course is almost as flat as a billiard table, and has been carved out of a dense pine forest. Previous Layouts The starting line is on a half-kilometer straight heading southeast. The first long sweeping bend goes about 200° to the right (called Startkuvan), and after a shorter straight, an almost identical corner (named (Opel) takes the cars to the left. After another half-kilometer straight, the course goes left in a 110° bend named Hansen, then almost immediately into a very wide radius, 220° right hand corner known as Karusell. At the exit of Karusell is the pit entrance, and very shortly thereafter both the pit lane and the track make a tight 120° left called Gislaved. Then the cars have a short straight past the pits and also where race control, and timing and scoring, were located for everything except for the actual F1 race. (Qualifying for F1 was timed by the pits, but race timing was half a lap back.) After the pit straight was an almost 180° right sweeper called Sodra. The cars were then on the back straight (officially called Flygraka), which in its almost-one-kilometer length gently merged onto, then off of, the airport runway. Then two roughly 90° sweeping right hand bends (known as Norra and Laktar) with another short straight in between led back to the start/finish straight. The way that the circuit doubled back on itself multiple times meant those with higher grandstand seats could see almost the entire track. Current The circuit has had two noticeable changes in its history, both in the same area. The Norra curve, positioned at the end of the straight, was long thought to be questionable from a safety standpoint, so for the 1977 and 1978 Grands Prix, a chicane was created with orange cones at the end of the runway. Instead of taking the gentle right kink, the cars made a sharper right/left combination. The organizers were exploring more permanent options when the race was canceled in 1979, and never returned. In the intervening years, the Norra corner has been brought in about 50 meters, and tightened, so the cars have been slowed and sufficient runoff created for the current usage without having to cut down more trees. The claim is that with other minor adjustments, the track length is the same. Event history The following is a list of Formula One World Championship events held at the Scandinavian Raceway circuit: Notes Category:Circuits Category:Preload Templates Category:Circuits Category:Former circuits Category:Swedish Grand Prix